Dante Pettis is a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL. He is in his rookie season (having been drafted into the league in 2018) and is already making great strides. Apart from being a football player, Pettis has numerous other interests. They include writing, art, music, and photography. He eventually hopes to explore these interests once he retires from football. Get to know more about this ‘Renaissance Man’ here including his talented family, bio, NFL career etc.
Dante Pettis Bio
Dante Pettis was born on the 23rd of October 1995 in San Clemente, California. He had his high school education at Junipero Serra Catholic High in Orange County, California where his athletic skills became manifest. He earned All-Conference honors as a cornerback in his junior year and repeated the same feat in his senior year, this time at the wide receiver position. Pettis’ athletic skill was not limited to the football field. He also played hoops (basketball) and represented his school in track, specifically the 200m and long jump. Dante Pettis’ high school exploits got him a scholarship to the University of Washington where he played four years of college football from 2014 to 2017.
His four years with the Huskies showed steady improvement from one season to the next. For instance, in his first season, he recorded 17 receptions for 259 yards and one touchdown. In his second season, he bettered it, recording 30 receptions for 414 yards and a touchdown. For his third season, Pettis hauled in a whopping 53 receptions for 822 yards and 15 touchdowns. He finished his college career on a high, catching 63 passes for 761 yards and 7 touchdowns and received consensus All-American honors. In addition to being a standout receiver, Dante Pettis is also an amazing punt returner. In 52 career games for the Huskies, he tallied a total of 90 punt returns for 1274 punt return yards and 9 punt return touchdowns. His nine punt return touchdowns is an NCAA record.
NFL Career
Following a successful college career, Dante Pettis bade farewell to college football, taking part in the 2018 NFL draft. He was picked in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers and was the 44th overall pick of that year’s draft. In his very first game for the 49ers (which was the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings), he made two receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown. Pettis is on track to break the 49ers 33-year-old record for most receiving yards by a rookie.
As aforementioned, Dante Pettis has a bunch of other passions asides football. He is not one of those players who breathe eat and drink football, and he is not ashamed to admit that. In his own words, ‘he is a writer, a photographer, a literature fanatic, a lover of poetry, a movie buff, and about a hundred other things’. He also plays musical instruments such as the guitar and ukulele.
Many have questioned his dedication to football having all these hobbies, but he maintains that these extra hobbies do not distract him but rather contribute to making him a more creative player. Pettis hopes to fully turn his attention to writing and photography when football is over.
Details of his Parents, Brother & Sister
Dante Pettis comes from a super talented family. His dad, Gary Pettis is a former professional baseball player. He made his MLB debut in 1982 and spent a good 11 years as a Pro. He was a centerfielder and played for teams such as the California Angels, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres etc. The Senior Pettis won the Golden Glove award five times in the course of his career, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1990. He retired from the MLB in 1992 and is currently a third base coach for the Houston Astros. Mom, Peggy was a former professional cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders.
Pettis has three siblings, an elder brother Kyle, an elder sister Paige and a younger sister Shaye. Kyle is an actor. He was a regular cast member of the long-running soap opera, Days of Our Lives, for three years. His sister, Paige is a social media coordinator and a lifestyle blogger. She works for a firm that assists other companies in navigating the intricacies of social media. Additionally, Paige is also a WAG. She is dating Dion Jordan, a professional football player. He is a defensive end for the Seattle Hawks in the NFL. Apart from his immediate family, Pettis also has a cousin, Austin Pettis, who played professional football. Austin Pettis was an outstanding wide receiver at Boise State, finishing his college career as the school’s leader in receptions and touchdowns. He was drafted into the NFL in 2011 and played four seasons for the L.A. Rams.
Height and Weight
Dante Pettis is 6 feet 1 inch OR 1.85 m tall and weighs a respectable 195 lbs or 88 kg. He has an arm length of 321⁄4 in and a hand size of 91⁄2 in. Even though he is not a physical player (due to his small build), he still gets the job done thanks to his strong hands, crisp route running and his effectiveness in all three levels of the passing game.
